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Project Dignity

serving the homeless with dignity, humility & love

Back to School–For Children Only?

Back to School–For Children Only—Really? In a motel ministry many of your services are geared toward children, none more so that in August—Back to School time. We spend the entire month of August making the rounds of the motels we serve, distributing backpacks to make sure the children get to start that all important first day of school with everything they need, looking and feeling “Just like everyone else”. It’s important to them and doubly so to us.

We hand out backpacks before school starts. Don’t wait until September. It will be too late to prevent an embarrassing first day for the children. A day that can shape their attitudes toward school for the entire year or even the rest of their lives if they’re shamed for not having a new backpack and all the things on the teacher’s wish list.

The children are your main focus for this activity, but sometimes they are not the only focus. Adults need backpacks too. If you have enough and if you can do it quietly, don’t cut the adults out. Many of the adults ride bicycles, the bus or even walk to work. They have to carry everything they need for the day with them. They can’t leave things in a car they don’t have and they certainly can’t make a quick trip home if they need something.

Their lives are hard, and if they’re working they are trying their best to rise above the situation they’re living in. Be the one ray of sunshine they get that day. Cut them some slack and give them a backpack if they have a good reason to have one. Do it quietly and discretely. I’ve yet to have an adult cuss me out for asking them to wait until all the children have been served. They understand.

Caution them not to make a big deal about it or tell everyone because you will never have enough to give one to every adult, after you’ve served the children. Just do you best, listen to the needs and fill the ones you can. A backpack is a simple thing to most of us. It represents a very big blessing for those who can’t afford them. Loosen up and be a blessing. You will never regret it.

More tips like this one

  • Sometimes, Rules have to be Broken
  • Don’t try to solve everyone’s problems
  • Know When to Say When
  • When is it Really an Emergency?
  • Time to Cut the Cord

August 12, 2014 /// Filed Under: Matters of the Heart, Practical Matters, Working with Adults, Working with Children /// Tagged With: Adults, children, heart, practical

What We Do

While we don’t feel anyone can ever fully understand the motel situation, we believe we understand it better than most. To our knowledge we are the only local organization who is focusing their services solely on the homeless population living in residential motels and we’ve been doing it since 1996.

It’s a long haul from homelessness to home, so our programs “wraparound” the challenges. Our first objective is to ease the burdens of daily living for our clients by assisting with necessities most of us take for granted–food, clothing and hygiene items.

Find out more →

More tips like this one

  • Sometimes, Rules have to be Broken
  • Don’t try to solve everyone’s problems
  • Know When to Say When
  • When is it Really an Emergency?
  • Time to Cut the Cord

A tribute to our Founder

In 1986 doctors told Linda Dunlap she had 6 months to live and she told them the Lord knew more about that than they did. She said He had a lot more work for her to do. She proved herself and God right by living another 22 ministry-packed years.

Linda went into the motels singlehandedly with nothing more than her backpack and a few medical supplies. She won the confidence of people who had never had anyone care about them or help them before. Her belief and vision that one person can make a difference grew into 10,000 people being helped annually by Project Dignity.

Remembering Linda →

More tips like this one

  • Sometimes, Rules have to be Broken
  • Don’t try to solve everyone’s problems
  • Know When to Say When
  • When is it Really an Emergency?
  • Time to Cut the Cord

Project Dignity

12913 Harbor Blvd., Ste. Q3, #253
Garden Grove, CA 92840

More tips like this one

  • Sometimes, Rules have to be Broken
  • Don’t try to solve everyone’s problems
  • Know When to Say When
  • When is it Really an Emergency?
  • Time to Cut the Cord

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